Meatloaf Recipe

When you’ve had a long day and need something comforting to eat there is nothing better than Meatloaf. This is the Best Meatloaf Recipe with the tastiest glaze and it’s so easy to make!

Meatloaf is a classic dish that never goes out of style. It is the ideal dish for a comforting meal or cold night pick-me-up. This easy-to-make recipe crafts an inviting meal you will want to have over and over again. Plus, the delicious tacky sauce will stick in your head like your favorite song.

Jump to:

• What You’ll Love About This Best Meatloaf
• Ingredients
• How to Make the Best Meatloaf
• Delicious Variations
• How to Store and Reheat Meatloaf
• Meatloaf Recipe

What You’ll Love About This Best Meatloaf

Delicious Sauce

The key to a great meatloaf is all in the sauce and this recipe delivers. The tangy and sticky flavors in this meatloaf sauce bring the meal together. Kids will love the hint of sweetness and adults will love getting their little ones to eat without a fuss!

Simple Steps

Some classic comfort dishes are all work but not this recipe! This Meatloaf is the best because it takes hardly any work to put together a dish worthy of a great restaurant. All you have to do is mix everything together and bake and you’ll have the Best Meatloaf you’ve ever tasted!

Family Friendly

Nothing brings the generations together like this Meatloaf recipe. This fast and tasty recipe will win your kidneys over with its tangy sauce and adults will love it too. Stop spending time arguing over food and start spending quality time together with this tasty meatloaf!

Ingredients

For the Meatloaf:

Ground Beef

When fat cooks it renders into a liquid which can cause big-time shrinkage so to keep your meatloaf from disappearing opt for a lean 90% ground beef. This very lean cut of beef is rich in flavor and light enough to make this meaty meal guilt-free!

Optionally, you can use part beef and part pork or lamb.

Dried Bread Crumbs

Bread crumbs are what give this meatloaf body and texture. Use plain or lightly seasoned bread crumbs for this recipe. You can even make your own bread crumbs by pulsing day-old baguettes and then toasting the crumbs.

Yellow Onion

Onion is a must-have savory flavor for meatloaf mix. If you don’t have yellow onion, white onion is a great substitute.

Milk

Milk helps to find and also to add a creamy flavor to the recipe. Any fat content will work or you can even use non-dairy milk if you prefer.

Egg

The egg is the perfect binder for meatloaf.

Ketchup

This ingredient works on so many levels. Ketchup adds sweetness, tanginess, and a great tomato flavor; plus, ground beef and ketchup were made for each other! If you’re watching your sugar intake, opt for a low-sugar or no-sugar version of this condiment.

Worcestershire Sauce

This condiment adds notes of onion, pepper, and salt to the meatloaf mix. It has tons of umami flavor but if you’re out of this sauce try swapping it with soy sauce or fish sauce.

Dried Parsley Leaves

Parsley is a fresh culinary herb that adds great leafy flavor and bright green color. Dried is excellent but you can opt for fresh if you prefer. To swap with fresh, use about 1 tablespoon of fresh for every 1 teaspoon of dried.

Salt

Salt is essential to bring flavor to all foods. For this recipe a fine-grain kosher salt or fine-grain sea salt is perfect.

Garlic Powder

Garlic powder adds savory, sweet, and spicy flavor plus an irresistible herbal aroma.

Ground Black Pepper

Ground black pepper adds a nice bite and balance to the flavor. If you prefer, you can ground white pepper or a blend of ground peppers.

For the Topping:

Ketchup

Ketchup makes the base of the sweet and tangy sauce. For this sauce use your favorite ketchup and if you want to spice things up, try jalapeno ketchup instead.

Light Brown Sugar

This sweetener adds a little sugary flavor to the sauce. In a pinch, you can swap this ingredient with dark brown sugar but expect a deeper warm flavor from the extra molasses.

Red Wine Vinegar

Red wine vinegar adds an acidic flavor and light fruit flavor. If you do not have this ingredient, try apple cider vinegar, white wine vinegar, or plain white distilled vinegar.

How to Make the Best Meatloaf

Prepare the Meatloaf:

• Preheat the oven to 350°F.
• To a large bowl add the beef, bread crumbs, onion, milk, egg, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, parsley, salt, garlic powder, and pepper.
• Use your hands to mix the meatloaf ingredients until fully combined.
• Add the meatloaf mixture to a loaf pan. Press it down into an even layer.

Mix the Sauce:

• To a small bowl add the ketchup, brown sugar, and red wine vinegar. Stir well to combine and then pour the sauce over the meatloaf in an even layer.

Bake:

• Bake the meatloaf uncovered for 55 minutes or until the loaf reads 160°F on a meat thermometer.
• Allow the meatloaf to rest for about 10 minutes before serving.

Expert Tips

• Use your hands to mix the meatloaf. Not only is it the traditional way, but it's the easiest way to ensure everything is evenly worked in. If you don’t love the idea of touching raw meat, wear food-safe gloves.
• You can alternatively free-form the meatloaf mix into a rectangle on a baking sheet.
• If the meatloaf looks like it might be browning too quickly, cover it with foil.
• If you like it extra saucy, make a double batch and save some to use as an extra glaze in the last 15 minutes of the bake.

Delicious Variations

Extra Oaty

Get on board with the oat craze with this delicious rendition! Swap half the bread crumbs with coarsely chopped oats and swap the milk for oat milk.

Very Veggie

Have your picky eaters wolfing down their veggies without even realizing thanks to this tasty twist! Add half a cup of mixed veggies to the meatloaf mix. Good veggies include peas, carrots, and mushrooms.

How to Serve the Best Meatloaf

They don’t say “meat and potatoes” for nothing! There is nothing quite like the comforting sight of a full plate of meatloaf with potatoes! It takes us back to being in our childhood kitchen and fills our souls as well as our stomachs!

Try serving this meatloaf in thick slices with garlic mashed potatoes or oven-roasted sweet potatoes. Finish the plate with some fresh green beans for a home-cooked wonder you’ll want to eat all the time!

How to Store and Reheat Meatloaf

Allow the meatloaf to cool completely and then transfer it to an airtight container. Store meatloaf in the fridge for up to 4 days.

The two best ways to reheat the meatloaf are in the microwave or the oven.

Reheat in the Microwave:

• Place the desired amount of meatloaf on a microwave-safe plate and heat for up to 2 minutes.
• Pause after 1 minute to check for doneness and flip the meatloaf over.

Reheat in the Oven:

• Preheat the oven to 350°F.
• Place the leftover meatloaf on a baking sheet.
• Bake for up to 25 minutes or until warm in the middle.

Can I Freeze Extra Meatloaf?

Yes, you can easily freeze this meatloaf. You can even make one extra just to freeze if you want an easy dinner down the road! Here’s how to freeze meatloaf:

• Wrap cooled meatloaf tightly in plastic wrap.
• Wrap it again in foil.
• Place the meatloaf in a freezer-safe bag, press out the air, and seal.
• Label the bag with the date and contents and then freeze.
• This meatloaf will keep in the freezer for up to 6 months.

To thaw the meatloaf, place it in the fridge overnight. Reheat it as described above; the oven method is best for a full meatloaf.

Is This Meatloaf Healthy?

One of many reasons this meatloaf is the best is because it is loaded with nutrients, even some you might not expect! For example, beef has a ton of vitamin B6 and yellow onion brings plenty of fiber!

While there are some rich and sugary ingredients in this mix, you can take steps to make it more light. This recipe already calls for extra lean ground beef and you can swap ingredients to get a lower sodium or sugar content in your meal.

Overall, this meatloaf is a perfect addition to enjoy occasionally as part of any well-balanced lifestyle!

Print